Alvar's bizarre enlightenment makes for a good yarn, even if it isn't clearly or grippingly told by the writer-director, whose background is in making documentaries. What Echevarria does best is create a living diorama...

"Cabeza de Vaca" is a small, generalized evocation of an epic subject.

Gets close to a period of Mexican history that hasn't been explored in quantity or quality as it should... a fundamental and necessary film for Mexican cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Actor Juan Diego falls into every ditch in Texas, moos at the sky, and gets bitten by angry critters. By the time the pic ends, we feel as if we've traveled every step of the way with him.